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Thursday, August 30, 2012

It's just one month until the Baltimore Book Festival, September 28-30, 2012! The Maryland Romance Writers are an annual co-sponsor of the event and we have three full days of super fun panels, discussions, readings, signings, games, and other goodies planned just for you!

Need more motivation to attend??? Just look at our list of participating authors and industry professionals:

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Welcome back to my place, Marie!
Please share a little about yourself, your genres, any other pen names
you use.

Thank you, Laura! Lovely to be on your blog again – thanks
for having me back J.

So, I’m Marie Treanor, from Scotland, and I write mostly
paranormal romance, of the spicy variety. I now have well over twenty books out
(of varying sizes from short stories to full length novels) with e-publishers
and traditional publishers and now also self-published.

That’s awesome! So, tell us a little about your latest or upcoming
release.

My latest book (released today!) is SERAFINA AND THE SILENT
VAMPIRE, the start of a completely new paranormal romance series centering on a
unique psychic investigation agency in Edinburgh – Serafina’s.

The first book is about the agency’s owner, psychic Serafina
MacBride, and her discovery that spirits are not the only dead things that
haunt the earth! While setting up a hilarious fake vampire attack, she
encounters a real vampire - along
with the corpse of her client’s son. Her life is turned on its head and she has
to rethink everything she knows and believes in – while keeping her sanity, tracking
down a murderer, saving the world… J.

That sounds like so much fun! Which character is your favorite and why?

I think probably Serafina herself. She’s strong and feisty
and afraid of nothing. She likes a laugh and she’s quite prepared to commit the
odd scam. But although she likes to pretend she’s hard as nails - and in some
ways she is - she’s also completely loyal to her few friends, never forgets a
favour, and has a much softer, kinder side she reveals to very few. She’s had a
tragic childhood, and although she’s risen above it, she’s quite a lonely,
isolated figure: her psychic gifts have set her apart, and increased the
hardship of an already difficult life, but she never lets it stop her, just
makes the best of things.

Mind you, I do also have a soft spot for the vampire Blair –
heading for three hundred years old, arrogant, amoral and powerful as he is, in
his own way he’s even more lonely and isolated than Serafina. After all, he
can’t even speak except to fellow telepaths. But he still keeps his sense of
humour, and the responsibility which was thrust upon him by his maker. He
thinks he doesn’t need anyone except for biting purposes, until Serafina begins
to fascinate him.

Both characters sounds great! Can’t wait to meet them! As the author,
what surprised you about this story?

Blair. He kept going his own way and forcing me to veer
off-plot J

Love when that happens! Will there be any sequels or other books in the
same series?

Yes, there will – hopefully at least two more books…

Yay! What was the hardest thing for you about writing this story?

I think keeping track of who could “hear” Blair! Telepathic
humans like Sera hear his thoughts, as do the older vampires, but the new
vampires who’re causing all the bother aren’t telepathic and they have all
sorts of difficulty communicating! But it was always great fun writing the
scenes where Sera talks to Blair, in the company of other humans who worry that
she’s talking to herself J.

Bed or kitchen table? Has to be bed – our kitchen’s too small
for a table, which is probably a blessing!

Beach or mountains? Both!

Give or receive? Both! (Is this cheating? [Maybe! *winks*])

Silence has never been so sinful…Welcome to
Edinburgh's unique psychic investigation agency, Serafina's. Serafina MacBride
is psychic - but not strictly honest. While staging a hilarious vampire attack
at a client's party, Sera is stunned to encounter a real vampire - annoying,
gorgeous and inaudible to everyone but her. When her client's son is found dead
with puncture wounds in his neck, she tracks the silent vampire to his lair.
But the amoral and
seductive Blair is also on a mission -
to find and kill a nest of young vampires who've invaded his territory. Soon
Sera is drawn into the bizarre world of the undead, where danger lurks in the
shadows along with forbidden sensual delights - and a murderous conspiracy to
flood the world with financially astute vampires who talk.

Supported and
hindered by Blair's eccentric, undead friends, and by her own motley crew from
Serafina's, Sera and Blair uncover surprising truths about each other and about
the mysterious Founder from whom all vampires are descended.
In the end, Sera
draws on powers she never knew she had in a frantic fight to defeat the forces
of evil and preserve the strange, complicated being she's trying so hard not to love.

Monday, August 27, 2012

It's my birthday! And I have gifts for YOU!That's right! Visit my one-day contest at Fresh Fiction where you have a chance at one of three paperback copies of North of Need, or enter my Goodreads Giveaway where you have a chance at one of two paperbacks!Fresh Fiction Post on Bromances & Giveaway

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Happy Sunday everyone! So, a milestone of sorts...this is my 71st Six Sentence Sunday, but the first time I decided to drop the number from my title! LOL! I have six sentences from West of Want today filled with tons of heart and heat. I hope you enjoy!

"Don't tease me, Zeph, I want you."

Zephyros didn't need to be asked twice. He pushed in, inch by hot, tight inch. Ella gasped and pressed back, encouraging him to go deeper. Wrapping her in his arms, Zeph moved his hips in a slow, steady rhythm. He thought to tell her how exquisite she felt, how much her generosity of spirit meant to him, how scared he was that he was falling so hard, so fast, but the incredible pleasure of physical connection stole his words, and nearly his breath.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Welcome, Christine! Please share
a little about yourself, your genres, any other pen names you use.

My name is Christine Bell, I’m still in my 30’s (barely, but
I’ll take it), and am happily married with four boys. I write a bit of
everything, contemporary romance, steampunk romance, paranormal. You name it, I
write it. I also write erotic romance under the pen name Chloe Cole.

Awesome, so tell us a little about your latest release.

Wife for Hire is about
Belfast billionaire Owen Phipps and his quirky accomplice, Belinda Knight.
After some ill-advised small business ideas go bad, Lindy is hard up for some
cash, so when she comes across a cryptic ad on Craigslist looking for an
actress to do a three-week gig, she responds (in spite of her concern that it
might end up getting her serial-murdered). What she gets is gorgeous Owen on
her doorstep needing a fake wife to help him infiltrate a couple's retreat so
that he can catch the conman who broke his sister's heart (and bank account).
Hilarity, sexy times and a wee bit of intrigue ensue.

How fun! Which character is your favorite and why?

I LOVE my heroine. The thing about Lindy is that she is
probably the nicest heroine I’ve ever written but under the fluffy exterior,
she actually the toughest. Her parents died when she was young and she is sort
of the family caretaker now. She’s funny and flawed and neurotic, but also very
brave and has such a great outlook on life. I feel like I could hang out with
her and have a beer. Don’t get me wrong, Owen (he pronounces it “Ooh-un” cuz
he’s Irish. And hunky) is fabulous. I just have a special place in my heart for
Lindy. She throws herself into everything she does and I admire that heart so
much.

Aw, she sounds great! Will there be any sequels or other books in the
same series?

Yes, which I’m very excited about! This is slated to be a
four-book series titled UK Billionaires and each features -you guessed it- a
billionaire from a different country in the UK. Owen is from Belfast, and in
this book we also meet Gavin who is from Edinburgh and will be our next hero.

That’s cool! I want them on audio books read by men from the
corresponding countries! LOL! What are you working on right now?

I’m working on book three in the UK Billionaires series, as
well as book two in the Dare Me series for Entangled’s Brazen line. Book one
will be out next month and that series is slated for three books.

Busy bee! Good luck! What happened to the first book you ever wrote?

I sold it! It’s a novella called Pray about wolf-shifters in Pray, Montana. Very steamy and a lot of
fun to write.

Cool! Have you incorporated actual events or people from your own life
into your books?

All the time. Usually, little things. Quirks that I see in
people that make them interesting and I think will make my characters seem
layered and real so that readers can connect. The kids are an endless supply of
material, and my husband is very funny so the tone of our banter definitely
flavors my work.

Is there a theme or message that runs through your work?

No message that runs through them all, but I think humor
ties them together in a way that, if you read one of my books, you would likely
recognize my voice in another. I also have a penchant for mouthy heroines. As a
reader, I can’t stand a milk-toast heroine so I don’t write them. Brassy women
are more fun.

Love that! What would your readers be surprised to learn about you?

Hmm, maybe that, although I write romance, I’m very much a
tomboy at heart? I love to play poker, shoot pool, and play laser tag. I never
liked dolls and preferred superheroes to shows about ponies. Although the
tomboyish-ness stops at shoes. I lovesme
some sexy shoes.

Who doesn’t??? Which romance book or series (or other genre, if you
don’t write romance) do you wish you had written?

Oooh…wow. There are DOZENS. I’ll narrow it down to a few
though, is that okay? I’ll say A Week to
be Wicked by Tessa Dare, because it’s just so frigging smart and funny. I
was alternately cursing and praising her with every line I read because I was
both envious and in awe. Another is an oldie but goody by Loretta Chase called Lord of Scoundrels. The woman can create
smog-thick tension with the unbuttoning of a glove. It’s the perfect romance
novel. Then I love everything by Cari Quinn. Her voice is so sparkly and fun,
her characters are so relatable and she writes the best love scenes. The last
one isn’t a romance, it’s a thriller, but the writing is so good that, every
time I read it, everything else is crap for a month until I forget how amazing
the writing is. And then I read it again. It’s called Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. Her current NYT Bestseller Gone Girl is just as well written. Love
her.

Okay, now, just for fun:

Milk chocolate or dark chocolate? Milk. But I won’t kick dark
outta bed either. The only think I don’t like is white chocolate. Because,
well, that’s just not even chocolate.

He needs a wife for three weeks…Owen Phipps is out for revenge. His mission? To expose the man who stole his
sister’s money and dignity. All he needs is a “wife” who can play along. Too
bad his last best hope is an actress who tries to mace him with perfume when he
offers her the role of a lifetime.

Lindy Knight is a real sap. She loves too hard, feels too deep, and often
finds herself saying yes when she should be saying “Let me think about it.” She
can’t believe her good fortune when Owen offers her more than enough money to
hold off foreclosure until she can find a job. Three weeks at a resort, money
she desperately needs, and she gets to help bring a criminal to justice? Score.

It seems easy enough until the first time a couples bonding game turns
intimate, and they realize how dangerous their mutual attraction could be. Can
they keep their hands to themselves long enough to find the evidence Owen
needs? Or are the close quarters more temptation than they can handle?

Please check out the Entangled website
here for an
extended excerpt of Wife for Hire, and readers, stick around to comment,
because, to celebrate the release
of my new Entangled Indulgence, I’m offering to indulge YOU! One commenter on
this post will win a $10 Barnes & Noble or Amazon gift card, so she (or
he!) can buy a couple (or, if you buy from the Entangled Indulgence line, a few
because they’re only $2.99!) new books. Must leave email address to be eligible. Gift card giveaway ends at midnight EST August 31!

AND I’m also
running a Let Me Indulge You contest.
If Wife for Hire gets onto the Amazon
OR Barnes & Noble top 500 list by September 18th, I will be giving away a
$250 gift card to the salon or spa of one lucky winner’s choice. Sign into
Rafflecopter below and every comment from my blog tour will be counted as an
entry. Follow my whole blog tour? EACH comment = another entry! Extra entries
will also be given for tweeting or posting the link to the book on Facebook:

So now to you, blog readers! Do tell. What’s your favorite
indulgence?

Friday, August 24, 2012

I am so full of good news today I don't even know what to do with myself! Monday is my birthday, so I have a gift for me AND a gift for you:For me:The gift I received is this: I have an agent! Squee! I am now represented by Jennifer Schober of Spencerhill Associates! I couldn't be more thrilled!For you:

If we were at a bar, I'd say the next round's on me! But since we're online, here's what I've got:

5 North of Need Paperbacks to Give Away!

I am giving away two paperbacks of North of Need on Goodreads and three paperbacks of NoN on Fresh Fiction beginning Monday! Haven't started the Hearts of the Anemoi series yet? Now's your chance! North of Need is the winner of the FF&P PRISM Award for Best Light Paranormal of 2012 and is the GraveTells Best Book of 2011 and was voted Sizzling Read of 2011 by readers at Sizzling Hot Book Reviews! Check out the giveaways here:

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

I'm pleased to share the below information with you about a workshop my local chapter, the Maryland Romance Writers, is sponsoring exactly one month from today! If you're within driving distance of Baltimore, Maryland, you should seriously consider attending!

ALL DAY WORKSHOP

What Editors Want: Beyond the Submission Guidelines

Saturday, September 22, 2012

9:00 am to 4:00 pm,

Arbutus Public Library, Arbutus, MD

The Maryland Romance Writers Chapter of RWA is delighted to present our workshop, What Editors Want: Beyond the Submission Guidelines.

Come and hear Angela James of Carina Press, Kathy Cottrell of the Wild Rose Press and Stacy Abrams of Entangled Publishing tell you what they look for in a query, submission, between the lines and what they mean when they say “fresh voice!”

Two editors (Kathy Cottrell and Stacy Abrams) will be taking pitches. See guidelines on website for pitching.

Registration MUST be completed online before the event. No payments can be taken at the venue. Space is limited. Registration will be cut off at 70. Pitch registrations will be capped at 60.

Monday, August 20, 2012

I could NOT be more thrilled to be participating in the cover reveal giveaway event for Conjure today. YA paranormal author Lea Nolan is my best friend, go-to crit partner, writing buddy, and sistah-from-another-mothah and I am so so excited to share her debut novel with you! Here we go...

Be careful what you search for...

Emma Guthrie expects this summer to be like any other in the South Carolina Lowcountry--hot and steamy with plenty of beach time alongside her best friend and secret crush, Cooper Beaumont, and Emma’s ever-present twin brother, Jack. But then a mysterious eighteenth-century message in a bottle surfaces, revealing a hidden pirate bounty. Lured by the adventure, the trio discovers the treasure and unwittingly unleashes an ancient Gullah curse that attacks Jack with the wicked flesh-eating Creep and promises to steal Cooper’s soul on his approaching sixteenth birthday.

When a strange girl appears, bent on revenge; demon dogs become a threat; and Jack turns into a walking skeleton; Emma has no choice but to learn hoodoo magic to undo the hex, all before summer—and her friends--are lost forever.

On Amazon.com, you can currently
pre-order J.K. Rowling’s highly anticipated The
Casual Vacancy in hardback for $20.93. Or, if you’re an ebook reader, for
your Kindle for $19.99.

Wait, $19.99? That has to be a typo,
right? I mean, a Kindle book is electronic. It doesn’t require shipping, paper,
shelving, etc., so it should be far less than the hardback, shouldn’t it?
*Looks back to Amazon.* Nope, that’s what it is. True, the MSRP on that title
in print is set at $35, but when’s the last time Amazon charged full price for
a new release of this magnitude? They buy in gross, get a discount, and pass
that along to consumers. But still, twenty bucks for an ebook?

As an indie writer who, in large
part, is responsible for setting the price for her own books, such
considerations as “what everyone else is doing” weigh heavy in my price points.
It is for this reason that since moving towards self- and indie-publishing last
year, my eyes have been trained on trends in the market in this area.

And the trend, at least where large
publishers are concerned, has been upward. You may not have been the only one
recently who’s noticed that titles “traditionally” published are favoring
Jackson to Lincoln these days. Prices in the $15-$25 range for new release
books by prominent authors aren’t uncommon. Even middle list fiction works
generally hit $10-$15.Sometimes the
electronic version of a book costs more than the paperback or even hard cover
edition.

At first blush, the logic on this is
hardly logical. Firstly, the difference in production cost between print and
ebooks is huge. As much as 70% of a print title’s cost is just to cover the
paper, presses and ponies to get it to your hands. Even for mass market
paperbacks (think any romance book you’ve ever seen at the checkout aisle of
your local grocery store), that number tends toward one-third. For an ebook,
however, the only per-unit production cost for a purchased copy is a nearly
insignificant use of bandwidth to perform that transaction. (Assuming one
already has the technology to display the book, but that cost is not unique or
attributable to a single purchase, therefore I suggest we not factor that in to
our consideration for the moment.) It should stand to reason, then, that if
those production costs are eliminated, the final product cost should fall as
well.

But herein enters the market.
According to Reuters, in 2011, ebooks accounted for 30% of all retail sales in
the United States, which is more than double its market share from just one
year prior. While the majority of sales are, consequently, still print, the
fact that a bigger slice of a publisher’s earnings come in this sector has
caused a shift. For traditional publishers, there are still many upfront costs
born of putting out an ebook in tangent with a print volume. Covers must still
be produced; editors must still be hired; for big-brand authors, a marketing
campaign must be launched.Whereas a few
years ago, any ebook sales were but a few extra sprinkles of cinnamon sugar on
piece of bread, now those very sales are becoming a publisher’s bread and
butter. They hedge a heavy price against the hope that die-hard fans will be
willing to shell out at a price comparable to what they have historically paid
for print, and thereby be able quickly to break even on their investment.As a business practice, it seems a sound one.

But let me remove my author’s hat
here and speak merely as consumer. For disclosure’s sake, let me back up and
state this bluntly: I am a libertarian and a full-fledged believer in free
markets in almost all cases. I have to remind myself that a house - as with most
anything - is worth whatever someone is willing and able to pay for it.If there was not a significant share of the
audience willing and able to pay $19.99 for an ebook, the price would fall.
Simple as that.(And over time, as a
title ages, its price tends to drop.)

I fear, however, the consequence of
this reality. I have become such a firm believer in the ebook that I will not
read print books unless fiercely required. No matter how much I want to read it
as a fan, I refuse to pay almost twice the price for an ebook as its paperback
counterpart costs new, knowing that the profit margin’s increase is the sole
reason for the match to be made. If distributors really want us to adapt the
technology (and no doubt they do; it’s a win-win-win between them, the
consumer, and the author/publishers for so many reasons), why are they allowing
publishers – with whom large companies such as Amazon and B&N have great sway –
to give us such firm incentive to revert back to print?
If you must match, match the lesser expensive of the hard cover or paperback,
not the most.

One concluding note: the large
publishers’ folly in all this may the indie- and self-publisher’s - and readers -
gain. While ebook prices from the big six have been on the rise, most I/SP
titles still retail for less than $5. Given the recent instances of self- or
indie-published books that have exploded and been picked up by large publishers
after having been first rejected by them (i.e. 50 Shades of Grey, Beautiful Disaster, and Slammed, just to name a few) due in part to this more reasonable
range, methinks readers might find the density of enjoyment per penny is much
higher in this brave and unrestricted world of that surely holds the next “big
thing” than anything offered to us at 5th Avenue prices.

Killian McRae is an author of historical romance, science
fiction, and fantasy. She’s proud to note that her regency romance, A Love by Any Measure, has never retailed for more than $4.99 in ebook format.

So, what do you think? Killian would love to receive your comments or questions!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

She wasn’t sure what happened or, rather, how it happened, but
the next thing she knew she was flat on her back, Zephyros’s huge body atop
hers. The kiss was consuming and filled with gratitude, promise. His hands
tangled in her hair, little appreciative and totally sexy groans echoing deep
in his throat.

Desperate for more contact, she spread her legs, and he slid
into the cradle of her thighs.

The earlier heat between them returned and went molten. Her
body remembered her unsated arousal, which surged anew with every suck of his
lips, stroke of his tongue, and shift of his hips.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Following receipt of a humorous review on Amazon, a group of Twitter friends got to joking about making a T-Shirt, and this is what we came up with:

Creative credit goes to Jess @audsmom2002!!!

Now the question is: would you like one? :-)

If so, here's the deal:

Email me at laurakayeauthor @ gmail.com with:

Your real name and mailing address

Your size

# of t-shirts you want

Size Chart:

S

34" - 36"

M

38" - 40"

L

42" - 44"

XL

46" - 48"

2XL

50" - 52"

3XL

54"

4XL

56"

5XL

58"

Site's Pricing:

1 = $22.95 each

6-11 = $14.92 each

12-23 = $11.93 each

24-47 = $10.33 each

48+ = 8.95 each

BUT: If we get at least 10 people to buy one, the cost per person will only be $14, and I'll pick up the rest plus shipping.* If we get at least 24 people, the cost per person will only be $10, and again, I'll pick up the rest plus shipping.* *International friends, I'm afraid the cost will be $10 higher for you because the shipping is such a killer, but I'll still be paying a share of it! Once we know how many orders I have, I'll send everyone an invoice through PayPal.

So, what say you? Would YOU like to be the owner of this fine luxury t-shirt proclaiming your deviance loud and proud??? Say yes, say yes!

Friday, August 10, 2012

Many times by email, blog post comment, tweet, or facebook message, readers have said some version of the following statement:

I can't afford an e-reader, so I can't read your e-books.

This post is for readers willing to read e-books, but who, for whatever reason, don't have, can't afford, or don't want to have to buy a Kindle or a Nook or an iPad, etc.

Here's the good news:

YOU DON'T HAVE TO OWN AN E-READER TO READ E-BOOKS!

Yes, I'm serious!

I'm here to let you in on some not-so-secret secrets. COMPLETELY FREE options abound to be able to read e-books without e-readers:

PDF format e-books. Many books are available as PDF files which can be read using FREE Adobe Reader software. Simply download this free software, and then buy books in PDF format wherever you see that option available. Admittedly, PDF e-books tend to be limited, but they are out there and often available from e-publishers' websites, which is true for my books Forever Freed and Hearts in Darkness, for example.

ePub format e-books. Many books are available as ePub files which can be read using FREE Adobe Digital Editions software. Simply download this free software, and then buy books in ePub format wherever you see that option available. ePub format is often available through e-publishers' websites and book retailers like All Romance eBooks and Books on Board, among others.

Get a Kindle for free! That's right! Turn your iPhone, Android phone, computer (PC or Mac), or Blackberry into a Kindle e-reader by downloading the FREE Kindle App from Amazon. Simply download this free software, and then buy books from Amazon or in Mobi format from other retailers, and read them on your Kindle app.

Get a Nook for free! Yep, this one's true, too! Like Amazon, Barnes & Noble also provides FREE Nook Apps for Androids, iPhones, or computers. Simply download this free software, and then buy books from Barnes & Noble and read them on your Nook app.

So, don't be turned off of e-books because you don't want to have to lay out the money for a fancy new device and then have to learn how to use it. I own a Nook and have a kindle app on my iPhone, so I personally love e-readers. But whether you do or don't, whether you never want to buy an e-reader or just aren't ready yet, know that if you have a computer, you can read e-books using any number of completely free software options.

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